Which States Added the Most Jobs This Year?

View data showing changes in total employment for each state so far this year.

U.S. Labor Department data released Friday shows payroll employment climbed in 30 states last month after the most recent jobs report exceeded many analysts’ expectations.

Only a handful of states added more than 10,000 jobs for the month, led by Texas (+33,100) and New York (+25,300). Most states didn’t experience any major swings in employment, and only Minnesota and Wisconsin recorded significant month-over-month job losses.

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Over the first four months of the year, though, a few states have enjoyed notable job gains.

The most populous states (as is typically the case) added the most total jobs. Texas saw its payrolls expand by an estimated 121,300 so far this year, while Colorado (+26,900), Utah (+19,900) and Washington state (+31,900) have also fared particularly well, registering the largest percentage increases in payroll employment.

Here’s a table with seasonally-adjusted nonfarm payroll employment, comparing the preliminary data just released to each state's totals for December.

State

Change since 12/2012

March-April Jobs gained/lost

April 2013 Jobs

Texas

121,300

33,100

11,146,000

California

77,200

10,300

14,602,200

Florida

63,300

17,000

7,515,400

New York

57,800

25,300

8,904,700

Washington

31,900

3,800

2,917,200

Georgia

28,200

4,300

4,016,800

Michigan

27,900

-4,500

4,056,800

Colorado

26,900

11,600

2,362,700

North Carolina

22,300

6,100

4,054,600

Virginia

20,100

12,100

3,765,900

Utah

19,900

-1,600

1,286,100

New Jersey

18,100

3,300

3,950,300

Tennessee

17,600

4,500

2,757,300

Oregon

17,000

3,700

1,660,800

Maryland

13,700

-6,200

2,602,900

Massachusetts

12,900

-1,400

3,312,000

Mississippi

11,100

2,700

1,119,300

Pennsylvania

10,400

6,700

5,753,000

Connecticut

9,600

6,300

1,649,300

Minnesota

8,700

-11,400

2,760,600

Arkansas

8,400

4,500

1,189,300

Ohio

8,200

7,600

5,183,200

Alabama

8,000

3,200

1,892,500

Oklahoma

6,800

1,800

1,624,800

Arizona

6,500

-1,100

2,494,800

Idaho

5,800

700

634,900

South Carolina

5,000

3,100

1,881,500

Indiana

4,600

4,400

2,928,300

Missouri

4,600

12,100

2,692,500

Maine

3,700

-400

597,400

West Virginia

3,300

-100

769,500

New Mexico

3,300

2,200

810,500

Nevada

3,200

5,600

1,161,900

New Hampshire

3,100

-400

638,400

Delaware

2,900

-300

424,400

Illinois

2,600

-2,000

5,775,500

South Dakota

2,600

-900

418,500

North Dakota

2,500

0

441,200

Iowa

2,300

0

1,518,000

Rhode Island

1,800

500

467,400

Wyoming

1,100

-600

289,900

Hawaii

1,000

3,000

612,600

Nebraska

400

-3,300

962,000

Kansas

300

-1,700

1,366,200

Vermont

200

-100

306,300

Alaska

-200

100

335,200

Montana

-400

-100

445,200

Kentucky

-500

3,200

1,836,200

Louisiana

-1,700

700

1,943,700

Wisconsin

-14,300

-24,100

2,781,700

Unemployment rates similarly dropped in 40 states and the District of Columbia last month, while only three states recorded increases. Nevada still has the nation’s highest rate (9.6 percent) followed by Illinois and Mississippi.